Rutgers football lands LSU QB transfer Hayden Rettig

Rutgers football coach Kyle Flood (left) and offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen will have a new quarterback to work with now that LSU transfer Hayden Rettig has committed.
(Photo:
Tanya Breen/Staff Photographer
)

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Former four-star QB recruit Hayden Rettig is transferring from LSU to Rutgers

Rettig slipped to No. 3 on LSU’s depth chart during spring camp and sought more playing time

Hayden Rettig had never visited New Jersey prior to this week, but he found exactly what he was looking for on the campus of the state university.

The former LSU quarterback, who announced his decision to transfer two weeks ago, committed Thursday night to Rutgers, where he is expected to compete for the starting job in 2015 with several others who have never played a college snap. Rettig must sit out the coming season per NCAA rules.

“I wanted to be at a place where I was needed and they have competition next year,” said Rettig, who will have three years of eligibility remaining. “I felt like the (LSU) offense was changing a bit in a different direction. That stuff happens and you just have to figure out the right place for you to play.”

Rutgers was in desperate need of another quarterback following the recent dismissal of Philip Nelson, who is facing criminal assault charges. Nelson transferred from Minnesota in January.

Rising senior Gary Nova is likely to be Rutgers’ 2014 starter, though he must hold off challenges from rising redshirt junior Mike Bimonte and rising redshirt freshman Chris Laviano during training camp.

“I just want to master my craft and learn the offense,” Rettig said. “It’s kind of like, ‘Wow, I’ve got to wait a year,’ but at the same time it’s a blessing in disguise because you get to learn the whole offense and do everything you can to master your craft and become faster, stronger. That’s what I plan on doing.”

And the former four-star recruit out of California says that is what he did last season as he redshirted and worked with the scout team for offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Rettig slipped to No. 3 on the depth chart – behind an incoming freshman – during spring practice and was 1-for-2 for 47 yards passing in limited action during LSU’s spring game.

“Freshman year taught me a lot,” he said. “It turned me from a boy to a man real quick. Coach Cameron did a lot for me. He set me up. He knew I was a high school Air Raid-type quarterback and he really helped me become a better player under center and drop back in the pro-style set and deliver the ball.”

After opting to transfer, Rettig said he reached out to a lot of the contacts he made in high school. His older brother Chase was coached at Boston College by Dave Brock, a former Rutgers offensive coordinator who is now the head coach at Delaware and friends with Rutgers coach Kyle Flood.

Rettig took an official visit to Piscataway on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I loved the family experience they have there,” Rettig said. “Everyone is in. Everyone works hard. That’s why I liked a lot. It’s just a place where they have great people around you helping you. Great coaching staff. Great fans. Great education. To be honest, I really, really do like the place.”

The strong-armed Rettig said he will report back to campus June 22.

“I know a lot of people talk about me having a big arm and me having the ability to escape when I need to, and good footwork,” he said, “but I feel like my leadership sense is something that every good quarterback needs to bring to the table. I’m a guy who wants to work all the time. I still have my eyes on the prize.”